Tag Archives: shoes

I haven’t been going to the gym as much this term. WOW, that feels amazing to get off my chest!

Yes, I feel like a complete hypocrite because I write this health and fitness column. And I love you all so much and I just don’t understand how it got to this point. Will you ever be able to forgive me?!

But I think this happens to everyone. We get into the habit of working out, and then decide to take just one innocent day off. This turns into a bunch of innocent days off, which turns into literally all days off, none of which are innocent. But never fear, Pulse readers! I have a plan of action. Even though it’s hard to get back into a workout routine, it is possible. Here is a list of the things I have done in the past (and am currently doing) to get my sorry butt into shape again.

I play mind games with myself

I once tried to date this guy, and I say “try” because we really sucked at being a couple—we could not get it together enough to map out a couple hours in the middle of our crazy lives to just exist in the same room. But sometimes, we’d map out fifteen minutes, which would always turn into a couple of hours. I can’t speak for him, but I always knew this would happen. I do the same thing when I go to the gym. I think, “I love you, treadmill, but I don’t have that much time for you.” And before I know it, I’ve been running for forty-five minutes because I realize how much more joy the treadmill brings me relative to the rest of my commitments. See? The gym is like dating: as long as you ignore the dishonesty, it can be fun!

Speaking of making time, I learned what it actually is

I’m a college student, so it’s super easy for me to use homework as an excuse to avoid the gym. But if I take a second to analyze what exactly happens when I do homework, I realize that it’s a bunch of B.S. and that I’m just a lazy weirdo because when I hit the books, I’m really hitting the books, the Internet, Netflix, my fridge, my roommates’ bedrooms, the convenience store I live next to . . . you get the picture. Basically, if I cut out all of the procrastinating I do when I’m trying to get my academic tasks done, it gives me an extra ninety minutes at least. That is more than enough time to make it to the gym. Why do I make my life so difficult?!

I got cool shoes

Yeah, I know it sounds really dumb. But I’m a big believer in dressing for success. If I’m having a bad day, I try to look nice. If I’m having a hyper day, I try to wear stretchy pants so I can high-kick at everything. If I am headed to work out, I put on the sick Nikes my dad got me for Christmas so I am forced to look like I belong. Fake it till you make it, right?

I make new playlists…

. . . like this one! And then I pretend I’m in a music video for all of the songs. Shut up, it works.

I become the poster child for inspiration

You might not know this, but I am big into confidence, so I don’t think comparing myself to other people is the way to get myself into shape. I know a lot of people practice “thinspiration,” which as I understand it is when you post pictures of impossible six-packs on your fridge to remind yourself of the body you want. To that, I say stop the madness! Don’t work out for someone else; work out for yourself. You will resent it less because it will turn into something you want to do for your own health, not for any other motive.

I’m not running around breaking public nudity laws though, don’t worry. I would just rather pull on some leggings, or shorts if the weather calls for it. I don’t dress badly, but I’m also no Rache’ll. My style just goes where the wind blows it. For instance, right now I want to look sporty. I don’t know why, I just woke up on Monday and was like, “This will be a sporty week!” Last week though, I wanted everything I wore to match my favorite hoop earrings. So that was fun.

With all of these pant-less fashion ups and downs, there is always one thing that remains constant, one thing that if I’m not wearing, I feel empty and incomplete: my Converse sneakers. I love those guys! Their white hightop-ness just makes sense to me.

When I love something as deeply as I love Converse, I like to know its story. So I tightened my laces, and delved into the history of this iconic sneaker.

According to the Converse website, the Converse company was started by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908. Unlike other companies, Converse was able to send his shoes to Boston stores without using a middle man. In a catalog published in 1913, Converse stated: “Our company was organized in 1908 fully believing that there was an earnest demand from the retail sneaker dealer for a rubber sneaker company that would be independent enough not to follow every other company in every thing they do.” This spirit is still with the company today.

It’s common to hear Converse sneakers referred to as “Chucks.” This is due to basketball-loving man Chuck Taylor. Converse’s history writes him in around 1920, citing him for wanting to promote his favorite sport by helping it thrive through selling footwear. Basketball was Converse’s initial niche, and it’s crazy to think how much the sports shoe has evolved.

In addition to being a shoe worn on the courts, Converse became a symbol of rock and roll in the fifties. The culture of the musical movement was made for the nonconformist. Consequently, Converse sneakers became associated with the free spirits and the rebels.

In the early seventies, the sneaker branded itself with a star stamp. The shoe continued to be made for basketball players, but it also appealed to the non athletes who wanted to be different.

My favorite shoe, the All Star, came into being in 1996. Since then, Converse has continued to sell itself as not just a shoe, but a lifestyle. Converse has become a symbol of fun, excitement, and comfort, things that we could all use a little bit more of if you ask me.

The sun is shining and spring is near, so ditch the gloves and throw on a statement ring instead. Forget the old tribal look, bright shades, and futuristic shapes of the prior vernal equinox: spring 2013 has an array of exciting new styles unparalleled to last year’s coveted pieces. With a new season on the horizon, it’s time to start preparing for the upcoming trends—and I can’t wait.

This spring, expect to see a variety of trends that will be easy to wear and even easier to find. With fringe necklaces, see-through bags, and chunky heels at the forefront of the trends, versatility and simplicity is key. And forget neon hues—it is all about pale pastels for accessories like shoes, bags, and scarves. This season is about simple femininity with a modern edge. To be more daring, throw on some knee-high Grecian inspired sandals or cutout booties, and metallic anything because gold, silver, and bronze are going to be huge. Regardless of personal style, this season holds trends suited for all.

It will be easy to incorporate these trends into everyday life, especially since most are simple and understated. Fringe necklaces make a great statement piece, so use it to dress up a simple dress or top for an effortless vibe. And the chunky heels? On behalf of every girl in the world: thank you fashion gods. Now those who have been afraid to rock a heel before can wear them with ease. Or, grab a bag in a beautiful pastel color (totes are back in!) to complete a look. Remember: an accessory is meant to enhance an outfit, so start with a good base, and whichever accessories that are added on will only make the final outfit look even better. Check out Style’s Spring 2013 Trend Report for more ideas—the options are limitless.

Luckily, he’s got a large handful of adoring fans who gladly pay him up to $179 to do just that.

Schultz, 22, is the creator of Art Kicks, a one-man “company” that transforms white pairs of Vans slip-on shoes into one-of-a-kind works of art. Schultz will draw just about anything his clients want, from Alice in Wonderland themes to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly tributes to a montage of unicorns destroying a city’s skyline.

Oddly, it wasn’t artistic inspiration that prompted this quirky Albuquerque native to enter the world of shoe art — it was poverty.

“During my junior year, I was really poor and very hungry,” Schultz says. “I came home from class and I realized I had probably fifty-eight cents in my bank account. All I had to eat was ravioli and noodles from Costco that I bought nine months earlier.”

He thought back to his freshman year, when two people — a friend and his then-girlfriend — had asked him to draw on their shoes. He remembered getting lots of compliments on the art, and he recalled the friend later admitting he would gladly pay for a second decorated pair. Schultz took him up on the offer.

“He went out and bought white Vans and he gave me $30, or something,” Schultz says. “And I said, wow, this is totally the answer.”

That night, Schultz bought ground beef, salad makings and some dressing with his shoe money and ate a “real meal” for the first time in what seemed like forever.

In a matter of months, everything blew up. Schultz launched a website, artkicks.blogspot.com, and offered to draw on shoes for free during the entire month of April. His offer earned him more publicity than he could have imagined when he and his advertising classmates met several executives in New York City while sporting pairs of Schultz originals.

“These professionals with six-figure salaries would talk to (my classmates) and say, ‘Hey, you have really cool shoes, you must be a designer,’” Schultz says. “It was huge for me.”

Next thing he knew, he upped the price of custom shoes from $80 to $100 to $139 and finally to the current going rate, $179. Only University of Oregon students are entitled to discounts.

“There was a critical moment where I breached that gap between students and people with money,” Schultz says. “All of the sudden, people in their thirties and forties wanted in on it, and I thought, it’s stupid for me not to charge them more.”

And charge he did. He began getting shoe requests from both sides of the U.S., some of them uninspiring and some of them fascinating. One New York advertising executive has commissioned seven pairs of shoes, all of which he let Schultz dream up based on bits of inspiration he sends to Eugene.

“He buys me things off of Amazon, and he says, ‘This is going to inspire you for the next pair,’” Schultz says. “And the next week I’ll get a box with the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD and I’ll have to use stills from it for the shoes.”

Schultz initially thought his creations would have only limited appeal, mostly to West Coast skateboarders and surfers who wear Vans every day. Somehow, though, Art Kicks seems to transcend typical boundaries — and thanks to the shoe’s universal appeal, Schultz is currently working on his fortieth pair of Art Kicks.

The number seems huge, but Schultz knows it can get even bigger with some strategic advertising moves and a solid source of funding. He doesn’t look much like a future advertising executive in his Buddy Holly black frame glasses, his studded belt and his worn pair of Chuck Taylors, but he has impressed and brushed shoulders with enough of them that he could be well on his way to creating something bigger than just a blog and a Twitter feed.

Ad executive Simon Mainwaring, a University of Oregon alumnus, “really changed my perspective, and he said, ‘You could really do something with this,’” Schultz said. “His perspective was, ‘wow, this could be your job, there’s something about this that’s more authentic.’”

For now, though, Schultz will stick to his low-key under-the-table operation to pay his rent — and who knows? He might tackle some of Simon Mainwaring’s big ideas when he graduates in the spring.